ONE Lexington seeks community input as it expands gun violence prevention work

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - ONE Lexington wants to hear from the community as the organization expands its gun violence prevention work to include firearm safety, accidental shootings and suicides by gun

ONE Lexington will host a firearm safety community forum from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Davis Park Workforce Center. The forum will include a free gun lock giveaway.

“Ultimately it’s about saving lives,” ONE Lexington Director Devine Carama said.

Expanding beyond conflict-based violence

ONE Lexington has focused on addressing gun violence impacting young people and young adults in the city. Carama said the organization has grown from a one-person initiative in 2021 to a full-functioning program, allowing them to consider expanding its services.

“We kind of focused on conflict-based gun violence early on because the majority of it was coming from that. But as we’ve seen those numbers decrease 70, almost 80%, as our team has grown and we got more community partners in our ecosystem, we just feel like it’s a perfect time to expand,” Carama said.

Forum will focus on community needs

The forum will feature a panel including the Lexington Police Department, the University of Kentucky Trauma Center, the Fayette County Coroner’s Office and more. Carama said the organization also wants to hear directly from the community.

“But then we want to hear from people. What do you need? What are you seeing? What are ways that people could be safer with their firearms?” he said.

According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, Kentucky averaged 19 emergency department visits per year for unintentional firearm injuries among children age 10 and under from 2016 to 2021.

“We have to make sure we’re doing our due diligence to be safe and make sure that people have the proper protocols in place to keep children from getting a firearm in their hands and having an accident,” Carama said.

ONE Lexington plans to use what it learns at the forum to help shape future services and programs.

“Once we get that information, once we get that data, then we’ll start building plans of services and and programs centered around just making sure Kentucky’s a safer place,” Carama said.